(1 of )Rancher Cliven Bundy speaks at a protest area near Bunkerville, Nev. Wednesday, April 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, John Locher)

Letter of the Day: Nevada range war

| April 18, 2014

<b>Nevada range war</b>

EDITOR: When someone denies the authority and legitimacy of government, as in the case of the Nevada cattle rancher, it is called a belief in anarchy as the way things should be ("Feds, ranchers face off in Nevada," Sunday). The rallying around this rancher by like-minded ideologues would be sad and laughable if it was not scary and dangerous.

In the minds of the far right, our government is a monstrous monolith of mindless power. The "government" is not seen as a collection of humans but a singular entity bent on thwarting the will of the people for purposes beyond our knowledge.

I trust that in lieu of any violence by either side, this whole matter will end up in federal court. No doubt, the rancher will use that trial as a vehicle to spew his fear and hatred of "the government" and probably will present arguments that invoke higher moral imperatives than those implied in our Constitution. You cannot win an argument with anarchists since they appear to have unshakable beliefs that no amount of truth or logic can adequately counter.

But the truth is simply that here is a man who wishes to break the law for his own purposes — not for the betterment of his community or humanity in general.